If you're an indie retailer, you know the struggles we face - competition, costs, and playing field slanted against us. The goal of this blog is to slant the field a little bit back in our direction.

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Corporate-Speak and Fifty-Cent Words

This was in a blog I follow...

"In the next three years, retail will reinvent itself as omni-channel leaders reach for customer relationship, relevancy, and reciprocity. A new replacement cycle of enterprise, planning, and commerce systems will anchor complex companywide business transformation for immersive experience and commerce. Quick-to-market leaders will improve same-shopper sales — fast becoming the most significant leading indicator of future performance," said Robert Parker, IDC Retail, Energy and Manufacturing Group VP and GM. "We expect renewed investment in the narrower but transformative capabilities of PLM and sourcing, marketing and advertising, and big data and analytics."

Let me translate that for you...

"In the next three years there will be a lot of upheaval and change in retail. Those who change the fastest and most in-line with the customers will do the best."

You can apply that to any 3-year period you want. It's true today. It will be true tomorrow.

Two lessons from that paragraph:

First, the more things change, the more they stay the same. You will always need to be adapting your store to meet the needs of your customers. You can take that to the bank (and if you adapt properly, you will take it to the bank!)

Second, never use big, fancy words when simpler words will do. Sure, you can show off your knowledge and prove what a big shot you are, but we don't care about that. Use simple words. Make your ideas and thoughts understandable by the masses. Especially when you work with your customers. They often don't know the terminology you and I use every day, and they don't like being made to feel stupid. When I read the first paragraph up above I was immediately turned off - and I know what some of those words actually mean! I still had to read it three times before figuring out what they were trying to say.

PS This is especially important with your male shoppers. Guys communicate vertically - did what I say make you think higher of me or lower of me? They will walk out of any store that makes them feel stupid. And since these next two weeks are the male shoppers' turn to shine, you need to maximize them to maximize your sales.

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Phil Wrzesinski

A Little About Me

I am an independent retailer. There. I said it. There is no twelve-step group for crazy people like us. We have to help each other. Fortunately, that's my favorite thing to do.

I have a simple mantra - Have fun helping others! That's why I'm here. I'm taking everything I'm learning about retail and sharing it with you.

I am a lifelong learner, always wanting to expand my horizons. I love deep conversations. I love people who challenge me with smart, well-organized thoughts and arguments and ideas. I love to look at how people act and react and interact with others.

If you also love to learn and grow and have some fun along the way, I'm pretty sure we'll get along well and enjoy this journey together.